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Tell us your questions for our digital democracy panel

Democracy faces new and global challenges: new notions of expertise, a less deferential society, information available on-demand, social media and new technologies for communicating and organising. In this context, traditional models of representative politics feel increasingly out of touch with the demands and desires of digitally enabled electorates.

At the same time, a new wave of democratic innovations is taking off around the world. These range from novel methods to submit proposals, deliberate and vote on options, participate in budgetary allocations, or get real time alerts on debates and decisions. There’s real potential for these tools to help stem the tide of popular disenchantment and disillusionment of our political system. But so far, they operate at the margins of representative democracy.

Nesta has been working on a programme of research, to bring together lessons and insights from some of the most innovative global examples of people using digital technologies to strengthen local and national governance.

At our report launch, on 23 February, we’ll bring together a panel of UK party representatives and experts to discuss democratic innovation. The event will be a chance to put some of your questions to a group of influencers in the field.

In this vein, and as true advocates of the cause, we want to give our audience the opportunity to interact and guide the conversation, so we are crowdsourcing questions from our guests in advance.

What topics do you think should guide the discussion? What are the major areas of excitement, cynicism or concern, in thinking about how democracies can use digital technologies?

We’re interested in hearing your more fleshed-out opinions too. Feel free to leave your thoughts on some of the following questions:

What actors (parties, local governments, parliaments etc.) are best placed to create meaningful new channels for digital participation?

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What's next?

Comments

1 February 2017

Ingrid Koehler,

Local Government Information Unit

In our review of council websites, it can sometimes be hard to find information about when elections are, when an individual politician is up for re-election and even what the political control of the council is. After elections, it can be difficult to find clear, easy to read results data for all candidates and machine readable data is only a bit less rare than hen's teeth. What are ways that we can solve the problem of accessibility of basic democratic data?

The point Ingrid makes re access should be expanded to include all elements eg from access device to information source. It would be perverse given all the anger over the Brexit demographic skewed toward the older generation, if they were now filtered out by overly complex tech. As US election shows a 'guarantee' of integrity of info sources, expert opinion etc will all be essential if people of all generations are to place their trust in non face to face interactions and online voting.

I have run for parliament in Australia on several occasions because I believe that in a democracy the elected representative is duty bound to represent what the majority in the electorate want not what they, or a political party or even worse the donors to a political party want. Political parties through deception and misinformation have conned the voters to think that they are the only way a democracy can function. This is NOT true. For more info about this click here:http://www.dicksonreps.net/the-problem
The solution to fix this problem is outlined here:http://www.dicksonreps.net/the-solution
The internet is a wonderful tool but effective political change can only come through people actually taking action together in the real world.

At present, Digital Democracy is nothing but applying digital facilities to existing (and failing) aspects of democracy. It could and should transform politics for the better, not just tinker at the edges. Digital democracy is poised to deliver “government of the people, by the people and for the people” in all its forms. An innovative, digital methodology for decision-making (on any subject and by any number of people) is now available, free of charge, on a website free of all commercial influences; citizens can therefore engage and participate. Through a globally-recognised ‘language’, it makes any decision universally transparent and always makes the best choice no matter how many people may be involved (sic). So, now we can realise true public accountability (transparency, and the transformative power of that is phenomenal) and start to re-build trust in politics. And there are so many other benefits like bias-neutral, proving innocence, etc. This has to be the best form of (digital) government of all? Certainly, it is of, by and for the people?

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